Question of the Day

Do you support a path to citizenship for Dreamers?

Story TOpics

Police officers on Borough High Street as police are dealing with an incident on London Bridge in London, Saturday, June 3, 2017. Witnesses reported a vehicle hitting pedestrians and injured people on the ground. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP) more >

Suspected terrorists driving a van mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge late Saturday, and stabbed other victims in a nearby London market neighborhood, British police said.

Britain’s Sun newspaper said there were as many as six fatalities and more than 20 people wounded. The BBC reports that at least 30 individuals have been taken to the hospital with others treated by medics on the scene.

Citing witnesses, The Sun said a “gang” of five terrorists wearing vests drove a van at 50 mph into pedestrians on the bridge before attacking revellers with hunting knives. Witness Erick Siguenza told BBC News that one of the attackers screamed “This is for Allah” as he went on the stabbing rampage.

The Sun reports that three terrorists were shot dead by police. Photographs posted on social media showed two alleged attackers lying on the street, with police standing over them.

As the attacks unfolded, President Trump said on Twitter that the violence underscores the need for U.S. courts to uphold his travel ban. The State Department said the U.S. “condemns the cowardly attacks targeting innocent civilians in London.”

The Metropolitan Police in London said they were called just after 10 p.m. local time to reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians the bridge, which crosses the River Thames in central London. Soon after, there were reported stabbings at a restaurant at nearby Borough Market, a popular area of pubs and cafes on the south side of the bridge.

With explosions being heard after 1 a.m. Sunday, London time, media reports indicated that at least some of the suspects were possibly still at large.

Police said another stabbing more than one mile away in the Vauxhall section of the city was not related to the other “terrorist incidents.”

The attacks, taking place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, occurred less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, and just over two months after a deadly car-and-knife attack at outside the British Parliament.

Mr. Trump, who was receiving updates from his national-security team at the White House, pledged help for London and the United Kingdom.

“Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter.

The president also said the incidents point to the need for his proposed temporary ban on immigration from six majority-Muslim nations.

“We need to be smart, vigilant and tough,” Mr. Trump said. “We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!”

The U.S. State Department said it was monitoring the situation. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected by this terrible situation,” the department said.

Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee on Sunday.

A spokesman said the prime minister is in contact with officials and is being regularly updated.

Ms. May and her Conservative Party are facing an election on Thursday; she held a lead of just one percentage point in a recent poll.

“Britain’s Conservative government must crush the Islamist threat,” said Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation. “This is a moment for decisiveness and resolve in the face of evil.”

British Transport Police said casualties were reported after an incident that may have involved a van and a knife attack, the BBC said, while the London Ambulance Service said it was sending multiple resources to the incident.

— Ken Shepherd contributed to this report. This article is based in part on wire-service reports.

The Washington Times Comment Policy

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.